Friction clutch



Feb. 17, 1925. 1,526,653

- C. S. WRIGHT FRICTION CLUTCH Filed Oct. 5, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 YINVENTQR 7 g: m ww Feb. 17, 1925. 1,526,653

7 c. s. WRQGHT FRICTION CLUTCH Filed Oct. 5, 1923 2 Shets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CREW Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLYDE S. WRIGHT, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL SUPPLY COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

1 FRICTION CLUTCH.

Application filed October 5, 1923.

To all whom it-may concern:

Be it known that I, CLYDE S. a citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Friction Clutches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to friction clutches and to their application to the bull-wheels of well-drilling machinery.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a friction clutch which is particularly adaptable to the requirements of well-drilling machinery, the clutch having novel means for relieving the snubhing effect of the clutoh-band when the direction of the load is reversed through the clutch. Another object is to provide a friction clutch in combination with the bullwheel of a well-drilling apparatus.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

WRIGHT,

'Fig. 1 is a plan view of a well-drilling 1 rig.

mechanism showing my invention, parts being omitted and broken away; Fig. 2, an end elevation of my friction clutch with its driving shaft shown in crosssection; Fig. 3, a view at right angles to Fig. 2, parts being in section; Fig. 4, a sectional detail of the automatic clutch relieving device; and Fig. 5, an elevation of the clutch driving-arm.

On the drawings, 1 designates the driving or power shaft of a well-drilling rig of the cable-tool type, one end of the shaft having the crank-arm 2 for actuating the walking beam (not shown) used with that type of 3 is the bull-wheel or drum having the sprocket wheel 4 connected by the sprocket chain 5 to the sprocket wheel 6 secured to the outer end face of the clutch drum 7 loose onthe shaft 1. 8 is a bearing for one end of the shaft 1, and 9 for one end of the bullwheel 3.

The drive-arm 10 is secured rigidly to the shaft 1 by the fe'ather keys 11 and the set screw 12. This arm 10 extends radially be yond the periphery of the drum 7 where it 7 is provided with the pin 13 to which one end of the clutchv band 14% is connected. 15 is the clutch lever pivoted between its ends on the pin 16 carried by the extension 17 on the adjacent edge of the arm 10. The extensionl? is set back from the outer face of the arm 10, as shown in Fig. 3, in order that the outer end of the lever 15 may stand Serial No. 666,747.

directly 10.

lever of the opposite the outer end of the arm The outer ends of the arm and the are directly opposite the outer face clutch drum 7. The remaining end of the clutch band 1 1 has riveted thereon the lug 18 having a hole to receive loosely the screw 19 which has its outer end connected to the outer end of the clutch lever 15 by the pivot pin 20. The screw 19 is held securely in any selected adjustment by the nuts 21 threaded thereon and bearing against the ends of the lug 18.

The lever 15 is shaped to have the end not attached to the clutch band extending angularly out over the shaft 1 opposite the inner face of the drum 7. This end of the lever has a hollow lug or housing 22 standing at substantially a right angle to the axial center of the shaft 1. 23 is a sliding block or post working in the hollow in the housing 22. It carries at its inner end the wheel or roller 24 held wit-h its axis at right angles to the axis of the shaft 1, by the cross-pin 25 slidable along the walls 26 left by cutting out a portion of the side of the housing 22. The pin 25 also limits the movement of the post toward the shaft 1. VVithin the housing 22, the post 23 is reduced from the shoulder 27 to its outer end which extends out beyond the housing. A coiled spring 28 surrounds the reduced part of the post 23 and rests on the said shoulder. The outer end of the spring is confined by the annular screw-plug 29 which surrounds the outer end of the post and screws into the outer end of the housing 80 is a spring attached to the outer end of the casing 22 and t0 the lug 81 on the hub of the arm 10 to yieldingly press the inner end of the lever 15 toward the shaft 1.

32 is a cam block splined on the shaft- 1 and slid along the shaft 1 by any suitable device in the annular groove in the outer portion of the block. The block located on that side of the wheel 24 which is toward the crank 2 and has its inner end or the end nearest the said wheel tapered so as to gradually lift the inner end of the lever 15 when the block is moved toward the clutch drum 7.

The clutch-band 14 is adjusted by the nuts 21 so that it is just free from dragging on the drum 7. When the cam block 32 is as shown in Fig. 1, where the lever 15 is unaffected by the cam block and the spring .the ,load' carried, by

30 is pulling the inner end of the lever to its innermost position, power applied'to rotate the shaft 1 will not rotate the clutch drum 7 until the cam block 32 is moved beneaththewheel-24 so as to liftthe inner end of the lever 15. The spring' 28 is suiiitiently stiff to resist compression while the lever s being rocked by thecam block to cause the ,clutch band 14 to grip the clutch drum ,7

is pulled around the rim of the clutch "drum 7. AsEthepin 13'is directly connected to the rigid driving arm 10 it is better ,able :to carry theload than :the pin 20 whichis carried by ;the smallerleyer 15. Should the direction of rotation ofthe shaft l be reversed withoutfirst releasing the clutch band 14 bymovin gthe cam block from beneath the'wheel 24, theiheavyload will be'transmittedto t'herpin 20, which cannot ,well-rbe designed to carry asgreat a loadas the pin 13. In order to automatically release apart of thisload from the pin 20,1 haveemployed thespring 28 arran'ged asdescribed. It is apparent that the clutch lever-'15 will have its outer end automaticallyjmoiz'ed slightly away from the arm-Q10, if the directionof rotation as'indicated by the arrowt i isreversed, this movement of the lever being permitted-by the spring 28 whichis compressed slightly. This movement of. the lever 15 releases the clutch band to slide around the clutch drumand relieve the parts from the enormous strains due to thefsudden stopping and reversal of the'shaft 1. I claim v V 1. A shaft, two clutch-elements concentric therewith and onedriven'thereby, one "-elevnrlent being a clutch-drum and the "othera clutch-band arranged to frictionallyengage the periphery of the clutch-drum, means rausing a driving connectionto be estabr lished between the clutch-drumand the clutch-band when the shaft-turnsinone direction, and means embodied in the fi'rst means automatically *relieving the driving eonnectionwhen the direction of rotation of the, shaft 1 is reversed "Without operating the said causing means.

Inv welt-drilling machinery, a :power shaft, a clutch-drum loos'ethe'reonya clutcharm rigidly connected to the shaft, a clutchlever pivotally connected to the clutch-arm, a clutch-band adapted to the periphery of the clutch-drum and having its ends connected respectively to the clutch-arm and the "'clntfch le'ver, means causing the clutchlever to "contract the clutch-band tightly upon, the clutch-drum when the shaft is tiirnedi'n 'one direction, and means automatically relieving the driving connection when the direction of rotation ofthe shaft is reversed without opera-ting 'the "said/causing means. :f

In well-drilling machinery, a srpower shaftfa clutch-drum: loosethereon, a clutohiarmirigidlyrconnected to the shaft,-a clutchlev'erifpiVotally conr'iiectedto the clutch arm, -a clutch-band adapted to "the;- peripheryof --the chitch-rlr'nmfand having its "ends con- J nected "respectively to 'the "clutch-arm tand the clutch-lever, means operating, theYcl'utchlever Eto -.co;ntract the I clutch-band :tightly uponrthe clntch-drumjand means; independent of the said operating means-for "relievingthe friction-between the clutch-:drumand clutol'r-band flwhen the "direction of rotation ofthe"shaftis reverse-d. w

4. In ;well=drilling machinery, a power shaft,- a clutch-drum. loosethereon,1'a clutcharm rigidly .connectedto the shaft,- ap-cl'utchlever pivotally connected to the clutch-arm, a clntclr-zbandadapted to the p'eripherybf the cl'ntfclf drum and having its ends con-- nected respectively to; the clutch-;arm and the clutchlever,-means operating the clutchlever 'to contract the clutch-band-t-ightly v upon the clutch-drum, "and a: springallowing said clntch arm to; move independently of "said operating means "for relieving "the .1' friction between the 'clutch-Ldrumrand clutchband when the? direction of rotation of the r-shaft is reversed.

5.;The combination of a power shaft, "a 1 clntch drum loose thereon; a clutehs-arm rig- '-id=ly connected to'- said shaft," a'- clutch lever r pivoted between its endsto the chitthe-arm,

" a clutclnhand connected to the outer end of the clntchsarnrand the clutch-lever, '"acam on --the-shaft operable to tighten the clutchband upon the clutch-drum, "a spring con- V neetion for "the; lever whereby the clutchband may automatically be relieved of" a part 'of its friction on the cl ntch dr'um' withetype awmem.

out operating the cam, when the direction 

